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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Arial;"></span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">April 25,
2014</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Arial;"></span>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial;">Hunger
Strikers
Released From Solitary Confinement; Fast continuing through May 1st to
highlight on-going detention center abuses. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial;">Tacoma,
WA - As a result of the
widespread attention to their cause, hunger strikers Ramon Mendoza
Pascual and
J. Cipriano Rios Alegria were released from solitary confinement on
April 24th,
and have been returned to the general population of the Northwest
Detention
Center. This release from solitary comes five days before the end of
Mr. Rios’s
solitary confinement sentence. In recognition of this victory, Mr.
Mendoza and Mr.
Rios have ended their strict hunger strike, and are now engaging in a
partial
fast. They continue to reject meals offered by the facility, but have
begun
drinking milk and eating small amounts of bread. As of yesterday, Mr.
Mendoza
had been on hunger strike for 44 of the last 49 days. He and Mr. Rios
plan to
continue their peaceful protest through May 1st, an international
day of action that in recent years has been marked by massive immigrant
protests in the U.S. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial;">The
actions of Mr. Mendoza, Mr. Pascual, and the hundreds of others who
engaged in a hunger strike that began in the Tacoma facility on March 7th,
have
resulted in a national and international spotlight being cast on the
harms
of detention and deportation at a time when the Obama administration is
under
fire for its immigration enforcement record. Following his meeting with
hunger
striker in the Tacoma facility, U.S. Representative Adam Smith has
initiated
efforts to introduce legislation responsive to hunger striker demands.
This
morning, Rep. Smith held a phone call with community stakeholders,
reinforcing
his on-going leadership on this issue and updating callers on his
efforts. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial;">The
issues the whistle-blowing hunger strikers have brought to light since
the strike began 50 days ago include the
on-going lack of appropriate medical care; among those who engaged in
the
hunger strike is Miguel Armenta Olabarria, who has spent over one month
in a
facility unequipped to meet his medical needs, which include living
with HIV,
Hepatitis C, and cancer. Strikers have also highlighted the abuses of
the
$1/day work system, forcing ICE to admit that the agency does not keep
track of
injuries sustained by those working in the facility. As those detained
continued to organize inside for their demands to be met, outside
supporters
are finalizing plans for a 12 p.m., May 1st rally outside the
facility that will end in a caravan to the yearly Seattle rally that
afternoon. </span></p>
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style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial;">###</span></p>
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<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
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